Wowgo 2S Review - The world's favorite budget board

For well over 6-months the Wowgo 2S has represented (for many) the best entry point into the esk8 market. With ideal specs and the well sought-after "Boosted aesthetic" complimenting a sub-$500 USD price, the 2S has been the obvious choice for those looking for a place to start, as well as those looking for a competent and reliable second board to compliment their main ride.

So let's check it out.

A TL;DR is available at the end of this review.​

If you haven't read my post on budget boards and ESC wars, I would suggest starting there and reading that post in tandem with this one.

For a board to hold prime position as the worlds favorite budget board for over 6-months (and counting) is quite an achievement. Especially considering the combative competition that exists within the budget board market. Meepo, by sticking with an alternative budget ESC, have put themselves in more of a niche position. As such, Wowgo's direct competition now comes from Ownboard's W1S (and related models) and Verreal's F1. Nevertheless, Wowgo have maintained an impressive lead in the budget market as being the "go-to" board whenever someone asks, "What's the best budget board for a complete beginner?"

The Wowgo 2S set a new standard in budget board expectations; an instant classic and the budget board by which all other budget boards have been measured recently. It's easy to understand why. People know what they're getting when they order a Wowgo 2S. The product has remained virtually unchanged since its launch. This inspires consumer confidence, as the product has given itself time for a solid reputation to emerge organically. The only change has been the recent option to choose between either the standard motors, or motors with easily replaceable urethane sleeves, which is a choice you can make at the point of purchase. There was a subtle change to the deck material and a charging port improvement also, but these are not "whiplash inducing" changes like those experienced with other budget brands.

The board comes well-packaged with custom foam protection and all of the typical accessories now expected from Wowgo and all Wowgo-like brands, such as the LED taillight and wall mount.

The Wowgo 2S deck is a 38-inch, 8-ply maple Loaded Vanguard clone with a built-in grab handle. The grab handle has an added rubber comforter, which is a nice little touch and something Wowgo's competitors don't include. The Wowgo 2S deck has been a bit divisive in the past. Some people celebrated it as the best and most flexy among the competition, whereas others suggested it was too flexy, too bouncy and actually had the potential to bounce people right off of it. With the current decks no longer containing a bamboo layer, I certainly didn't experience anything I would call "too bouncy." My closest comparison is the many Meepo boards I have ridden in the past, to which I would say the flex profile is near identical to the 1.5 and V2 decks. There is a mild to medium U concave and just the right amount of camber (bow/arch) in the board to get a passable amount of rebound out of the flex.

Trucks and wheels are the fairly typical off-the-shelf items we've come to expect. The wheels are 90mm (78A) size-matched with the rear hub motors (2x 250W (500W max)). The motors on my 2S are the newer iteration with easily replaceable urethane sleeves. The standard motors (like those still used by the Verreal F1) remain available also if that's what you'd prefer.

The front bearings are Zealous built-ins, which are a reputable and highly used brand in esk8 circles. The green sheilds of the Zealous bearings are nicely complemented by matching green 90A bushings, making for a nice aesthetic. These bushings are better than a lot of the other China-direct bushings, but if you're a serious carver you'll still want to swap them out for something better. For cruising and commuting though, these bushings aren't too bad. Like many parts, I believe these bushings are the same as those that come standard on the Verreal F1.

The split enclosures are aluminium, robust and decent quality. Just a simple charge port on the battery enclosure and power button on the ESC enclosure helps keep things minimal.

The three battery options available with the 2S are 4.0Ah, 6.4Ah and 8.5Ah. My board has the standard 4.0Ah battery, which is made up of a 10s2p configuration of Samsung 20R cells.

The board is controlled by the celebrated Hobbywing ESC and remote (3 speed). Super smooth and ever-reliable!

Reality (for this section please note that I weigh about 203lbs (92kg) these days and I ride flat-out in the highest speed mode as often as possible)

Top Speed: 24.85 mph (40 kph)

Range: 7.76 miles (12.5 km)

Hills: 20% likely

Weight: 17.4 lbs (7.9 kg)

In addition to Map My Ride, I also now use an app called GPS Speed, which gives a real-time read-out of your speed as you're travelling. On a full charge the Wowgo 2S consistently hits 24.85 mph (40 kph), which is a tad faster than the advertised top speed and matches the top speed performance of other boards I've tested in the past with virtually the same componentry. Certainly nothing to complain about here!

​Acceleration, however, is where the Hobbywing ESC always feels a little "light." It's nice and gentle off of the line, which is good for commuting, but the mid-curve acceleration is always a little dead with these boards. Beginners are unlikely to notice or care, but it's very noticeable when you come straight off of a Boosted onto something like the Wowgo.

I knew exactly what to expect from the Wowgo's 4.0Ah pack in terms of range, which is why I was surprised to see a claimed range of 10 to 12 miles (16 to 19.3 km) on their website. One competitor using the same pack lists a range of 8.7 to 11 miles (14 to 17.7 km), which I believe is a far more accurate range representation for most people. As for me, I know with my weight and riding style I always get 8 to 8.6 miles (13 to 14 km) out of a 4.0Ah pack. The Wowgo was consistent with my previous experience with these packs: I got 7.76 miles (12.5 km) of real-world range, which was a tad less than expected, but still within the ballpark of a 4.0Ah battery.

​If Wowgo listed a more realistic range specification of 8.7 to 11 miles (14 to 17.7 km), the actual range I achieved would be a little more commensurate with the 4.0Ah rating combined with my weight and riding style. As it stands I think Wowgo are doing themselves a disservice by listing such a high range spec for a 4.0Ah battery.

As always, my range tests are designed to demonstrate the minimum range you can expect from these boards in the real-world.

Regarding sag, within the 4.0Ah battery's range capability of 7.76 miles (12.5 km), sag tends to set in around the 6.2 miles (10 km) mark, which isn't bad and is about on par with all packs like this. Ever since the budget market swapped from Samsung 22P to Samsung 20R cells for their standard packs, sag hasn't been anywhere near the issue it was back when the first versions of these boards came out.

​Further, I conquered all of my 12 to 15.7% local test inclines with ease on the Wowgo 2S. I wish I had some more challenging inclines around to complete some more meaningful tests, but 15.7% is about the best I've got. I can, however, get a bit of a feel for how the board slows going up a 15+% hill; a feel that tells me how much steeper the hill would need to be to defeat the board. I feel the Wowgo 2S could still take a 20% incline with a guy of my weight, so long as its a short duration one, with a full battery and a descent run-up. Claiming 25 to 30% as Wowgo do on their website, well, this might be a bit much... Even for a lighter person.

I also found the 2S to be slightly heavier than advertised. I weighed the board in at 17.4 lbs (7.9 kg) as supposed to the claimed 16.7 lbs (7.6 kg). Deal breaker? No way. But worth sharing with you all the same.

AESTHETICS AND RIDE FEEL

It looks good! If the desired effect was to look as close to a Boosted board for a fraction of the price, I'd say Wowgo has certainly achieved that. They were also able to do so without completely ripping-off the Boosted aesthetic in its entirety, which is a plus for me. Inspiration is one thing, but blatant copying is another thing entirely.

Another big plus for me is that Wowgo decided to leave the hub caps blank on the new motors - no logos, no nothing! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Less flash and more stealth should always be the name of the game in my opinion.

​The board rides, feels and handles perfectly for a budget board. No complaints. It's well-balanced, has decent enough flex (for my weight) and the Hobbywing ESC and remote performs exactly as it should and how you'd expect.

The Hobbywing "Boosted clone" remote has long been hailed as the best in the budget market. So much so that it's shared by probably over a dozen other budget boards now. With so much travel room to play with on the thumb roller, you get a smooth and forgiving interface that's perfect for riders of all skill levels.

The board rides and carves beautifully for the price. The board cruises to its top speed relatively quickly, but smoothly. You never feel in danger of being bucked off. The brakes are gradual, but responsive. Indeed, the tried and true ecosystem of the Hobbywing ESC, remote and the 2x 250W (500W max) 90mm hub motors has been the popular formula it has been across many brands for a very good reason - it works extremely well! So well, in fact, that it leaves very little to complain about.

All-in-all the board is comfortable, flexy and looks fantastic for the price. Budget boards have become increasingly more solid and robust over time and the Wowgo 2S is no exception. Smooth, responsive and reliable, the Wowgo 2S looks and performs as good as any budget board can, which naturally sets the bar quite high and goes quite a way to explaining why this has been the budget board of choice for so long.

HIGHLIGHTS

ESC and remote - The Hobbywing ESC and remote is one of the gems of the budget electric skateboard scene. It's perfectly programmed for the 250W (500W max) 90mm hub motors, creating a sublime ecosystem. Is there a deadzone in the mid-curve? Yes, there is with all of these boards to be honest, but what it lacks in punch it more than makes up for in terms of smoothness.

Performance for price - Although the electric skateboard user experience is about much, much more than specs alone, the reality is this board goes just as fast and just as far as my Boosted Stealth for about a quarter of the price. If that's all you're looking from a cheap electric skateboard, then the Wowgo 2S is going to be right up your ally.

2A charger - Nice! With so many similar boards only supplying 1.5A chargers as standard, the Wowgo 2S charges up pretty quickly in comparison.

LOWLIGHTS

No smart turn-on - By using the Hobbywing ESC, Wowgo has sacrificed the smart turn-on feature that was present on the original Wowgo and the Wowgo 2 (and remains present with several competitors). Is this a deal-breaker for you? Well, that's up to each individual to decide.

Durability - Budget boards are budget boards, and although Wowgo's aluminium enclosures certainly step-up the game in one area of the build, we're still talking about a product within a price range known for inconsistent quality assurance, quality control and a lingering question mark over the products overall life expectancy. This is just the nature of the budget board market.

*NOTE: Due to the similarities between the Wowgo 2S and the Verreal F1, many of the highlight and lowlight observations of the latter, which I made in a previous review, also apply here.

​CONCLUSION/TL;DR

The Wowgo 2S could be called the "golden boy" or the "vanilla" of the budget board market. It's positive points being quite obvious, it makes it hard to draw any real negatives when one considers the price.

​If you're looking a few additional features and benefits, this might lead you to Ownboard. If you're looking for different deck and a simpler design, this might lead you to the Verreal F1. If you're looking for a different ride profile, this might lead you to Meepo. My point is the Wowgo 2S sits right in the centre of all of these as the obvious choice if you just want good budget board that gets the job done with a minimum of fuss and bother.

​​The Wowgo 2S hits a surprising top speed of 24.85 mph (40 kph) and cruises there smoothly thanks to the reliability of the Hobbywing ESC and Boosted clone remote. Real-world range, whilst being lower than advertised, is fairly consistent with 4.0Ah packs generally, and the 2S's hill-climbing capabilities are respectable enough for short-duration, moderate inclines.

For either an introductory esk8 or as a back-up for seasoned riders, the Wowgo 2S remains tough to beat, both now and probably for the foreseeable future.